Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window

Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window
by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi

I am writing this entirely based on my (lousy) memory. I am writing it because this is one book that I actually feels like buying (the original in Japanese) even if I do not know how to read.

At first I thought it was a work of fiction because the way the school ran was really very weird. But later on, I realised that the author had written the story based on her own childhood.

The author is a popular Japanese actress who once was a student at Tomoe Gaukuen, an experimental school in Tokyo, Japan. This special school was founded by Mr. Sosaku Kobayashi who had a unique concept of teaching while observing his own daughter.

I remember his first meeting with Totto-Chan, he allowed her to talk freely. And she talks for a very long time, until her throat was dry and she ran out of topic (which is very rare for such a girl). Such patience is indeed rare in most adults who usually feel that children are just spouting nonsense and prefer for the children to listen to him/her.

I remember their first swimming lessons. They were swimming in bluff although they are allowed to swim in swimsuits. Mr. Kobayashi wishes to inculcate in these young children that their body is the same as anybody else and that they should be proud of their own body. Most importantly, he wishes to tell a special child with some deformation that he should be proud of his own body. These children learn that there is nothing remarkable about physical appearance and prefer to focus instead on the swimming pleasures.

I remember their classroom lessons. There is a list of agenda which one must complete by the end of the day. It would include English, Mathematics, Science, Arts etc. You can start with any of the objective first so long you complete the list by the end. The teacher is around for you to ask questions. Some people will start with their favourite subjects which could be Mathematics or Arts. And end the day with their least favourites. It is your own call how you wish to complete your tasks. Most importantly, you will learn not to be distracted by the classmate besides you who might be doing a laboratory experiment while you are learning your English.

Most importantly, I remember the train carriages. The whole school is actually formed by train carriages. The day Mr. Kobayashi brought in a new carriage as their library was a big event. All the children camped in school that night to see the carriage being brought in (without any railway tracks). It reminds me about the bus that was used for some remedial thingy some years ago in Singapore. Hmm but I think the bus idea did not work too well here? Not sure.

This book opens up a lot of ideas with regards to teaching. I am very impressed and hope that there will be people as dedicated towards teaching as Mr. Kobayashi. Schools, like any organisations, tend to lose their focus because of the competitive nature in society. But so long as there are a few who are dedicated, I believe that the education system will still be sufficiently efficient.